08/12/2026
Give them a fresh start. ♥️📚
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend the day learning alongside an incredible group of educators. We talked about some of the challenges that show up in every school. And one conversation has stuck with me.
At the beginning of a new school year, we hear a lot about the students coming our way.
“He had a really hard year last year.”
“She struggles with…”
“Just wait until you meet…”
“Last year, they could never…”
Sometimes it comes from previous teachers. Sometimes from families. Sometimes from a file, a meeting, or a reputation that seems to arrive before the student does.
That information can be important. We should listen. We should learn from the people who know our students.
But we also have to leave room for a fresh start.
Who a student was in one classroom, with one group of peers, during one season of their life does not have to determine who they will be in yours.
Maybe a new environment matters.
Maybe a different group of peers matters.
Maybe the supports you put in place matter.
Maybe feeling understood matters.
Maybe having an adult who genuinely believes in them matters.
So as students walk through our doors this year, let’s be careful not to make them prove a reputation wrong before they’ve even had the chance to show us who they are.
Let them start fresh.
Let them hear, in our words and our actions:
I’m glad you’re here.
I believe in you.
We’re going to figure this out together.
This can be a great year.
Because sometimes a fresh start is exactly what a student needs to show us something we haven’t seen yet.
